36 STUDIES OF POULTRY. 



of what is at present one of the most extravagant wastes of a people 

 who have never had to be very careful of their food supply. 



It has already been stated that, while refrigeration in the broad 

 sense has but recently played a widespread part in the marketing of 

 eggs, it has been used far more generally for the preservation of eggs 

 until the season of shortage. The early spring eggs, after danger 

 from frosting is over, are considered most desirable for long storage. 

 Whether this is due to an inherent condition of the egg, referable to 

 the physical state of the hen, or to weather conditions which are 

 favorable to egg preservation at that season, scientific research will 

 have to decide. The fact remains that the desirable storage stocks 

 are those which are put early into the egg-storage rooms, and it is 

 these which can be held longest. 



According to trade practices, eggs are graded during the early part 

 of the laying period by size and cleanliness, packed into a rather 

 heavier filler than is used for current consumption, and stored in odor- 

 less wood boxes, 30 dozen to a box, at temperatures ranging from 28 

 to 32 F. (2 to C.), depending upon the locality and the prefer- 

 ence of the owner. Later in the season grading is dependent upon the 

 appearance of the egg before the candle, evidences of incubation ex- 

 cluding it from storage. It is at this period, when the quality is going 

 down and the storage space is still unfilled, that great care must be 

 exercised in selecting eggs for long keeping. At best, it is the custom 

 to remove the later eggs from storage when the first demand in the 

 autumn arises, and in spite of careful storage conditions deterioration 

 will be found to have made more headway in them than in the 

 earlier lots. Hence, very careful candling must precede their entrance 

 to the market. 



The questions of temperature and humidity and cleanliness are of 

 great importance in the successful cold storage of eggs. The tempera- 

 ture must not permit freezing of even the most superficial kind, yet 

 the colder the eggs can be kept without congelation the better. 

 Fresh eggs which are thick bodied, as laid by well-fed hens, can be 

 held advantageously at 28 F. (2 C.) ; on the other hand, thin 

 eggs, or those which have begun to deteriorate, may require 32 F. 

 (0 C.) for safety. It is scarcely necessary to say that the latter will 

 not keep as long as the former. A constant temperature within small 

 limits in long storage is an absolute necessity. The majority of ware- 

 houses permit a maximum fluctuation of not more than 4 F. (2 C.) 

 after the stock has ceased coming in. Some maintain even greater 

 exactness than 4. 



Humidity in egg keeping is a subject which is much in need of close 

 scientific investigation. It would seem, from the experience of the 

 industry, that the relative humidity of the atmosphere desired is 



[Cir. 64] 



